Say, it’s Halloween and it’s one of my favorite holidays, though here in the Philippines, we do celebrate it differently than how I would like it. I don’t know. I’m not that fond of scary shit but I just like that atmosphere of people talking about scary shit. I usually get scared easily, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I like gothic stuff, sometimes I don’t. It’s really strange, ’tis love for Halloween and all things scary.

So, in celebration of Halloween in this blog (since I’m bereft of my main blog due to its exceeded bandwidth limit error which I think is hacker-induced), I’m telling you some scary stories, two of which I have directly experienced myself, and the other one, I’ve been involved somehow. After all, most of us do get the kicks out of telling scary stories and making others jump out of their skins. Haha.
Let’s begin.

* * * * *

Spirit of the Glass

Back in the days when I was still an impressionable teen in high school, my friends and I, after a cheerleading practice, decided to have a game of “spirit of the glass” in one of the empty townhouses in the subdivision. I think we were around 8 people then and the sun was about to set.

I have forgotten how we started the game. All I remember was that we settled in the garage and seated ourselves in a circle, with our makeshift Ouija board in the middle. We weren’t taking it seriously really and were just asking some funny, pointless questions, mostly answerable by a yes or a no, like if we’re going to get married, or if one will win at the lottery.

But when we’ve decided to ask the board some really personal questions, which aren’t voiced out at all and the board began answering almost accurately, we all felt scared, perhaps because how could anyone know what the other person was thinking and know the answer to such a question? And questions that were asked were mostly of the kind that the only person who could answer it was the person who asked the question.

It was last Sunday that my high school friends (my barkada) and I went to Tagaytay for our second vacation for the year. Though at first we’ve decided on going to Pundaquit, Zambales, there had to be a change of plans because of some work schedule restrictions. Maybe next year we can have a lengthier vacation in a more far-away place. But our Tagaytay trip, though it’s only near Manila, is still one of our most enjoyable ones.

And yes, it was another adventure because it will be my first time public commuting to Tagaytay. Feeling turista!

I thought it was going to be difficult, with us coming from Bulacan and then public commuting up to Tagaytay. Actually, it wasn’t. Add to that the fact that most people are just at home because of the upcoming Barangay Elections.

From Bulacan, we rode the FX (actually it’s a Revo) to MRT North EDSA station. We took the train and got off at the end of the line which is Taft station. At the foot of the stairs going down from the MRT platform, there’s a bus terminal. See? It’s easy, right? And what made things easier was that the bus stops right in front of the subdivision where the house where we’ll be staying is.

And another surprise for me: the bus fare going to Tagaytay from Pasay is only P73! Now why was that a surprise for me? Because the fare going to Bulacan from North EDSA MRT station is about P45 and that’s via the NLEX. Comparing the distance and time traveled, I thought the bus fare to Tagaytay would have been more than P100. And so it’s good news, right? Also the bus wasn’t the rickety type you see along EDSA. It was comfortable with good airconditioning and TV and the seats are CLEAN (no crawling creepy cockroaches!). My only regret at that time was that I forgot to bring my earphones. The movie didn’t play until we were more than halfway through our trip and the driver was playing oldies tunes. Continue reading →

Just got home from a Tagaytay escapade with high school friends. And it is certainly hard to be going home knowing that:

Seemingly, another hacker trashed my site (tesstermulo.com) and caused it to exceed its bandwidth limit again.

I’m going to face work and studies again.

Tagaytay is really the place for me. Not so urban and yet not so provincial. I like the weather and that there aren’t that too many people around, but not too few that will make me think I got exiled for doing naughty deeds. Haha. I think I can live in a house like this forever:

Of course, it has to have basic amenities like food storage and such. But I can live in this house for an infinite period of time, as long as it has a computer and internet connection. Hehe.

Doesn’t it remind you of a big hobbit house? 🙂

More pictures later. I just have to go and take a little rest. And yeah, I’ll also tell you how I beat liquor ban.

Mimi Lennox of Mimi Writes is the founder of the Peace Globe Movement. I think it started last year November 7, 2006, when she encouraged people to post photos of globes inscribed with their names or their messages as a protest that we really ought to work for peace in a chaotic world.

Some people may have criticized her for being whimsical in pushing for this. What could posting photos of globes on blogs do anyway? We are already aware of how much this world hungers for peace. What can this movement accomplish?

I believe that if you really are fighting for something worthwhile, no matter how small the gesture, it should be encouraged. It’s Mimi’s and other Peace Globe bloggers’ contribution to the quest for peace. Some action is better than no action at all.

I haven’t decided yet if I’ll put a globe on my blog on November 7. But, yes, I believe that this movement is worth a little post.

I feel a general mistrust for online transactions using credit cards because of fear of hackers who can retrieve information I send online. Also, I do not trust myself with a credit card transaction online out of fear that I’ll lose control and overspend. These have limited my opportunities to earn online.

So, imagine my joy when I heard that Paypal Philippines can now receive and send funds. At least, now there’s a more secured way to transact online. And it accepts some debit cards too (visa electron)! Now that’s good news. I don’t have to suffer having credit card information sent online.

So, what did I do?

First, I applied for an EON cyberaccount online at Unionbank website (read more about EON Visa Electron here). Then I received an email that informed me that my card will be ready for pickup after 5 banking days at the branch that I picked during application. In my case, I picked Muñoz branch.

Remember very well that you need to bring IDs (at least two) and photocopies of it to be able to claim and activate your cyberaccount.

The IDs you could bring are:

Birth/baptismal certificates

Current Driver’s License

Valid Passport

Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID

Major Credit Cards

Permit to Carry Firearms

Tax Identification Number (TIN) Card

Social Security System (SSS)/Government Service Insurance System Card

Current Company ID

Postal ID

Current School ID (for students only)

Also, you have to have at least Php100 in your cyberaccount before you can enroll it at Paypal. The reason for that is $1.95 will have to be debited from your account when you enroll it. But after your first transaction using paypal, the $1.95 will be credited back to your Paypal account. Don’t worry, no maintenance balance is required for a cyberaccount.

Using an EON cyberaccount requires you to enroll it in the EXPUSE programme. You can acquire the EXPUSE number by calling 1-800-1888-2277 and be ready with your account and card details. However, the CSA will tell you that you will have to wait 4 banking days for EXPUSE number to be made available to you.

When you have acquired your EXPUSE number, login to Paypal and enroll your account to EXPUSE. If you have attempted to enroll the cyberaccount before without the EXPUSE number (like the very impatient me), there should be a link there that says “finish enrollment to expanded use programme” or something like it. After you have entered the four-digit EXPUSE number, the account will show that the card is finally verified.

Warning, though, for the impatient ones: I remember that in Pinoymoneytalk, it was said that you can get your EXPUSE number through your transaction history at Unionbank online. I tried what was suggested there but I wasn’t able to enroll the cyberaccount to Paypal. And do not attempt too many times if you do not have the EXPUSE number because it can result in blocking of your account in Paypal (which almost happened to me). So, if I were you, just call the hotline number I stated above, just to be sure. Perhaps the suggestion at pinoymoneytalk worked before but it seems that Unionbank changed some policies/procedures regarding enrollment at Paypal.

So far, I have only received payments from Text-Link-Ads. And I haven’t attempted to withdraw the money I have in Paypal to EON cyberaccount just yet because there’s a withdrawal fee of $5. I think I’ll just wait for the amount to get a bit bigger .

How about you? What experiences did you have using your credit cards/debit cards in Paypal? Leave your advices, suggestions, comments, and questions here so that we could help each other out.

Since Estrada’s conviction as guilty for the charge of plunder, there have been speculations that he will be asking for executive clemency from Arroyo. Set aside all other excuses that the Estrada camp has given, it’s all apparent that the Estrada and his cohorts are doing all that they can possibly do with money and connections just to keep him out of jail (and I mean, a real jail, a prison cell behind prison bars, not some comfortable two-storey summer mansion). And after a short while of denying that he’s asking for a pardon (even vehemently saying he refuses to think of asking for it), finally his lawyers have pleaded for the clemency from the President, despite the flowery language that Estrada do not actually acknowledge the legitimacy of Arroyo’s presidency but only is asking for pardon from someone who could give it to their client (and I think only the president of the country could do that isn’t?). Arroyo, on the other hand, has always been open to the idea of negotiating granting clemency for Estrada. I mean, what a grand way of exhibiting her advantage over the enemy right?

He got the conviction guilty of plunder but did not suffer from it really. Has he ever languished inside a real prison cell during the years of which his case was tried? No. In fact, he has transferred residences, stayed in expensive hospitals, and even went abroad for some medical treatment.

What happened to the penalty that is the result of the conviction? Will he simply walk away without serving a portion of it? He haven’t even seen the inside of a prison cell and here comes the pardon on a silver plate, courtesy of the Malacañan. How will this reflect upon the integrity of our justice system?

I speak as an ordinary citizen with a very ordinary grasp of Philippine politics and laws. What does this issue tell me? That in the country where I live, those who have the money and the connections can buy or negotiate their way out of serving prison term? While us, ordinary citizens are always kept on our toes to make sure we do not violate any laws, some arrogant few swagger, without care as to whom they hurt or trample along the way. How can I believe in the justice system if the President herself can easily overrule it?

Equality under the law… it doesn’t seem to make sense anymore. It’s almost a myth.